A mining environment can include generally a mining wall having a plurality of drill holes. In one embodiment, a mining wall can include a rock formation. The plurality of drill holes can extend a depth into the mining wall. A mining wall may not be flat in a plane parallel to an x-y reference plane but instead may include a plurality of protrusions or cavities extending in a z direction parallel to a z axis. For removing material of the mining wall, explosive material can be placed into the plurality of drill holes. The explosive material can be detonated for breaking apart a portion of the mining wall.